Rome, January 20 (BNA): The Italian Football Public Prosecutor asked Juventus to remove nine points from Serie A this season because of the way it represents player transfers.
The request was made at a hearing on Friday looking into the way Juventus, Italy’s most successful club, and a number of other teams have handled player exchange deals, Reuters reported.
A source close to the matter confirmed Italian media reports that Juventus had demanded the deportation of points. Other participating clubs will not be severely punished.
Juventus currently ranks third in the league, ten points behind leaders Napoli, after 18 matches.
Giuseppe Shine, the football prosecutor, also requested that former Juventus club president Andrea Agnelli be prevented from assuming his position in Italian football for a period of 16 months, and requested that Fabio Paratici, who was the club’s sporting director, be suspended for 20 months.
Paratici is now the Managing Director of Football at English club Tottenham Hotspur.
Juventus denied any wrongdoing and said its calculations were in line with industry standards.
Juventus and other clubs will present their defense on Friday before the Football Court decides on its ruling.
The issue centered on the values associated with players exchanged between clubs.
The capital gain from the player goes directly into the club’s accounts while the purchase cost can be spread out over the life of the contract, creating scope for balance sheet flattery with inflated valuations.